- Fact Sheet
Empowering Texas: Immigrants' Contributions to the Energy Industry
Published
A new research report, Empowering Texas: Immigrants’ Contributions to the Energy Industry, released today by the American Immigration Council, underscores the crucial role immigrants play in Texas’ energy industry. The report was prepared in partnership with Texans for Economic Growth, a statewide 145+ member business coalition powered by the American Immigration Council, and the Houston Gulf Coast Building & Construction Trades Council.
For more information, see our press release.
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Immigrants are bolstering the state’s energy labor force. In 2022, immigrants represented 20.1 percent of all employed workers in the energy industry, and undocumented immigrants represented 4.5 percent of all employed workers in the industry.
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Immigrants will help the state’s energy industry meet future needs. From 2018 to 2023, there were 140,900 unique job postings in the energy industry in Texas. During the same time, 2.4 percent of all job postings in the energy industry prioritized bilingual skills. Immigrants across the skills spectrum are prepared to meet that demand.
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International students are preparing to join the industry. In 2022, 7,100 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees were awarded to international students in Texas, including 2,900 engineering or engineering-related degrees, equipping international students with the necessary skills to support the energy industry.
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Immigrant workers made up significant shares of several crucial occupations in the energy sector. In 2022, despite making up 17.2 percent of the state’s total population, immigrants made up 32.5 percent of workers in petroleum, mining, and geological engineers, including mining and safety engineers, and 25.9 percent of other extraction workers.
Help us fight for immigration justice!
The research is clear – immigrants are more likely to win their cases with a lawyer by their side. But very few can get attorneys.
Introducing the Immigration Justice Campaign Access Fund.
Your support sends attorneys, provides interpreters, and delivers justice.
Immigration Justice Campaign is an initiative of American Immigration Council and American Immigration Lawyers Association. The mission is to increase free legal services for immigrants navigating our complicated immigration system and leverage the voices and experiences of those most directly impacted by our country’s immigration policies to inform legal and advocacy strategies. We bring together a broad network of volunteers who provide legal assistance and advocate for due process for immigrants with a humane approach that includes universal legal representation and other community-based support for individuals during their immigration cases.